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Viruses Would Rather Jump to New Hosts Than Evolve With Them

September 13, 2017

The discovery that viruses move between species unexpectedly often is rewriting ideas about their evolutionary history — and may have troubling implications for the threat from emerging diseases.

Bacteria Use Brainlike Bursts of Electricity to Communicate

September 5, 2017

With electrical signals, simple cells organize themselves into complex societies and negotiate with other colonies.

Q&A

Seeing Emergent Physics Behind Evolution

August 31, 2017

Nigel Goldenfeld applies the physics of condensed matter to understand how evolution sprinted for the earliest life — and then slowed down.

The Oldest Mini-Brains Have Lifelike Young Cells

August 29, 2017

"Organoid" brain tissue models grown in a lab for two years can help scientists study a critical period of development just before and after birth.

Interspecies Hybrids Play a Vital Role in Evolution

August 24, 2017

Hybrids, once treated as biological misfits, play a vital role in the evolution of many animal species. Now conservationists are trying to reconcile that truth with policies.

Beating the Odds for Lucky Mutations

August 16, 2017

If DNA repair makes useful mutations more likely, it could accelerate cells’ adaptations to harsh environments.

Mini-Brains Go Modular

August 9, 2017

To create a good living replica of the human brain, your best hope may be to let “organoid” components assemble it for you.

Shrinking Bat DNA and Elastic Genomes

August 1, 2017

Species gain and shed startling amounts of DNA as they evolve, and even genomes that look stable churn furiously. What does it mean?

First Support for a Physics Theory of Life

July 26, 2017

Take chemistry, add energy, get life. The first tests of Jeremy England’s provocative origin-of-life hypothesis are in, and they appear to show how order can arise from nothing.

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